The bidding for the Expanding Essence Pill concluded and the final winner was the emperor.

He got the 9th-rank pill with an astronomical price of 9100 True Crystals! Even the noble families participating in the auction gasped at the wealth of the Silveria Imperial Family. It wasn't a surprise because the Silveria Imperial Family reigned the Silver Wing Empire for more than fifty thousand years and their accumulated wealth could even drown the other households...

There were several items auctioned after that and almost all of them were taken away by the three great noble families. The other noble families couldn't do anything about it since they weren't rich enough to bid against them. As for Jiu Shen, he remained silent when the other auctioned items were displayed. He didn't even show an ounce of interest when he saw the auctioned items. Only Lu Sulan placed her bid occasionally, but she didn't manage to outbid the others since she didn't bring many True Crystals with her. However, she wasn't disheartened about this because she already had the damaged sword which was actually an Origin God Weapon!

The auction concluded after that.

Some people went out of the Silver Dragon Auction House with wide smiles on their faces, while the others left with regretful looks.

Jiu Shen and Lu Sulan went to retrieve the items that they bid for in the claiming area of the auction house. Some people were also there to do the same thing, and they even saw a few familiar faces.

"Greetings, Wine Master Jiu!"

"Greetings, Wine Master Jiu!"

Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian and Master Fengzi bowed reverentially at Jiu Shen as they greeted him. They didn't even bother to hide the admiration on their faces as they glanced at Jiu Shen who had an expressionless face.

"Greetings, Supreme Elder Qi."

"Greetings, Master Fengzi."

Lu Sulan cupped her fist at the two old men to show her respect. They were the ones who helped her when she was still succumbing to her 'illness', and she was grateful for their help.

Lu Sulan then glared at her disciples and Yang Zenke's group. The youths immediately understood her gaze, so they hurriedly greeted the two old men as they cupped their fists respectfully.

"Greetings, Supreme Elder Qi!"

"Greetings, Master Fengzi."

The two old men smiled at them with a warm look. They then shifted their gaze to Jiu Shen who merely nodded at them perfunctorily.

Looking at this, the two old men could only smile wryly.

During the past month, they always pestered Jiu Shen to accept them as his alchemy disciples, but Jiu Shen remained unmoved and he rejected them every single time. This didn't stop the two old men, and they continued to beg him almost on a daily basis.

"Wine Master Jiu, I-I..." Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian said, but Jiu Shen cut him off.

"I accept." Jiu Shen said without letting him continue to speak. His eyes remained calm and indifferent as he stared at the two old men in front of him.

"Huh? What do you mean, Wine Master Jiu?" Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian's heart thumped as he asked with a bewildered tone. Did Jiu Shen just accept them as his disciple? He wasn't certain.

"I said I accept you both as my alchemy disciples." Jiu Shen replied calmly, but his words came as a surprise to everyone who was listening to them.

"This..." Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian and Master Fengzi glanced at each other with perplexed looks, but their expressions turned into excitement not long later. They were already expecting to be rejected, but Jiu Shen actually accepted them without even letting them speak. Did they finally move his heart after begging him non-stop for more than a month?

Jiu Shen sighed in his heart while looking at Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian and Master Fengzi. The other one was more than a hundred years old, while the other was more than eighty years old. In any other circumstances, he wouldn't even bother to glance at them since their talent wasn't even comparable to the talent of the servants that he had in his past life. However, this wasn't a problem to him since he had a way to nurture them into top alchemists, but since they were already old, the best that they could reach would be at the level of an Origin Alchemy God.

'Sigh. I have no choice. There are just a few talented individuals in the art of alchemy, so I'll just train these two and let them handle the concoction of my future sect. It would be better if they agree to incorporate the Alchemy Hall into my sect.' Jiu Shen said in his heart.

"Don't get happy too soon. Come find me in my store after the martial arts competition is over. This isn't a good place to pay respects to me." Jiu Shen said.

The two old men glanced at each other before they turned to glance at the crowd who were looking at them curiously. They didn't mind kneeling before Jiu Shen as his disciples, but it appears that their master didn't want to embarrass them so much. This made them feel grateful in their hearts.

"Master, we will do as you command." Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian said respectfully.

He didn't mind calling Jiu Shen as his master despite how young the latter looked. Alchemy proficiency wasn't based on someone's age or strength, it was based on someone's ability to refine a pill or dan! Besides, Jiu Shen wasn't just an Alchemy Saint!

The two could still remember the day when they saw how the one-armed barbarian Hu Xiandao managed to regrow his severed limb after he consumed Jiu Shen's Body Reforging Heavens Pill. They knew that the minimum requirement to concoct that pill was to be at least a Nascent Alchemy God! In the minds of the two old men, Jiu Shen was already an immortal who had transcended the realms of mortals, so how could they not respect such a man?

Jiu Shen nodded his head at them. He had the thought of taking the Alchemy Hall under him, but he still had to convince Qi Hongtian and Master Fengzi. Jiu Shen was confident that he could convince them, so he didn't take this matter too seriously.

"You both may leave. Just come to my store after this contest is over. I have matters to discuss with you two." Jiu Shen said.

Supreme Elder Qi Hongtian and Master Fengzi bowed their heads and cupped their fists as they said.

"Yes, master."

"Yes, master."

Lu Sulan was happy for the two of them, and she could already imagine them calling her 'senior sister' in the future. Just the thought of it made her feel slightly embarrassed since the both of them were much older than her.

...

(Please Read Author's Note for more info)